Daily Devotions
Romans
I thank my God through Jesus Christ
Text: Romans 1:8
CAREFUL AND CONSISTENT
Paul was a very astute and careful theologian. He made sure that he was always consistent in his usage of theological terms. This is clearly seen in the way he made mention of God as Father and Jesus as Son.
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 1:7“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ…”
Romans 1:8
1. The Person of God
a) He is described correctly as “our Father”.
b) He is to be acknowledged at all times, especially in prayer.
c) He is to be appreciated as the Giver of both grace and peace.
2. The Person of Jesus Christ
a) He is to be correctly addressed as Lord.
b) He is also to be acknowledged as the Giver of grace and peace.
i) This makes Him equal with God the Father.
ii) This is a subtle but powerful hint of Paul’s Christological persuasion.
c) His role as Mediator is to be deeply appreciated, especially in prayer.
“For there is one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 2:5
RAGING THEOLOGICAL CONFLICTS
One of the reasons why Paul maintained such a high level of diligence in his writings is because of the many theological conflicts that dogged him everywhere he preached. Two groups of people may be identified:-
1. The Judaizers
These were Jews who appeared to have embraced Christianity. In reality they were Jews who sought to proselytize Christians to become Jewish believers!
2. A cult that may be called “incipient Gnosticism”
This cult rejected the doctrine of Christ as One who was equal with God!